- Apparently a lot of lawyers for whistle-blowers are donating to Obama. Why? Since Obama has cracked down so hard on people who expose the government for wrongdoing, business has been booming for these lawyers. Amusing.
- If you’re a defense contractor looking at losing money due to the automatic budget cuts coming January 2, 2013, don’t worry. The taxpayers will pay for the costs of laying off workers, closing plants, renegotiating contracts, and more.
- Ryan Lochte is supporting the Water for People campaign, probably because he prefers swimming in water not filled with pollutants and waste. Just a guess.
- Some geniuses involved with the Houston East End light-rail line decided to build utility poles right in the middle of the sidewalks. I guess they don’t want wheelchairs on there.
- Report from the Center for American Progress (an admittedly liberal group) shows that if the DREAM Act were passed then roughly 1.4 million new jobs, as well as $329 billion would be added to the US economy by 2030. Study looks reliable to me.
- Government surveillance of American citizens has skyrocketed lately (no surprise there), with requests for “pen register” and “trap and trace” records surging since the US PATRIOT Act was passed. This is only part of the picture too, sadly.
- The far right Golden Dawn party in Greece (reminiscence of the Nazi Party) got a Pastafarian (read: Flying Spaghetti Monster) arrested on charges of blasphemy for his parody of a well-known Greek monk. Expect me to post more and more about Golden Dawn.
- Group of programmers for the University of Texas (Hook ‘Em) have programmed a bot in Unreal Tournament that has passed the Turing test, but also appears more human than human (like the White Zombie song).
Random Monday Links
pointblunk.com 